An embodiment relates generally to determining a state-of-charge of a battery within a transportation vehicle.
A state-of-charge (SOC) refers to a stored charge available to perform work relative to that which is available after the battery has been fully charged. The state-of-charge can be viewed as a thermodynamic quantity, enabling one to assess the potential energy of the system.
Open circuit voltage is used to determine the SOC; however, the accuracy of the open circuit voltage is critical to determining a state of charge and is difficult to estimate during the battery use. If there is measurement error, then the state-of-charge estimation will be in error according to the factor of the measurement error. Moreover, for conventional vehicles and battery systems, the battery must be at rest (i.e., no load or recharging) for a respective duration of time before the open circuit voltage can be obtained. Prior art systems that attempt to estimate the open circuit voltage while the battery is in use are deficient for failing to consider parameter uncertainties such internal resistances, capacitances, and other battery parameters which will vary based on age and temperature of the battery.